Character-Centered Confrontation: A Two-Hour Writing Exercise

Character-Centered Confrontation: A Two-Hour Writing Exercise

Techniques to Develop

Sustained conflict through confrontation scenes: Build character through action and resistance, not reflection. Integrating subplots that mirror or contrast the central struggle. Creating inevitability with surprise: Drive tension so events feel both unexpected and unavoidable.

500-Word Prompt

Write a scene set at the midpoint of a character’s emotional, moral, or physical journey. Your protagonist must directly confront their primary opposition—this could be a person, institution, internal flaw, or force of nature. The confrontation must involve active resistance: argument, defiance, or physical or psychological tension. No reminiscing. No decisions made in solitude. Make it present. Make it hurt.

While this central conflict unfolds, introduce or develop a subplot involving a secondary character. The subplot must either mirror or complicate the main conflict in a way that forces the protagonist to choose, shift, or stall. The subplot must intrude into the moment, not appear as background.

The scene must end with a pivot: an unexpected move, gesture, line, or choice that is both surprising and, in hindsight, inevitable. Let the reader feel that something irreversible has occurred, though they couldn’t have predicted the form it would take.

Avoid internal monologue-heavy exposition. Let character and tension emerge through behavior, dialogue, and silence.

Evaluation Criteria

Does the confrontation escalate tension and reveal the stakes through action or dialogue? Is the subplot more than background—does it shape or challenge the main conflict in the moment? Does the outcome feel both unexpected and, in retrospect, inevitable? Are the characters revealed through their behavior under pressure, not through internal summaries or flashbacks? Is the prose tight, concrete, and charged with subtext?

Strong Response Example

A doctor testifies in court against her hospital for a cover-up. Mid-testimony, her estranged daughter interrupts, revealing she’s pregnant by a hospital staff member. The daughter pleads with her not to ruin their lives. The doctor continues the testimony but pauses, folding the ultrasound photo into her pocket with trembling fingers. The gesture is silent but shattering. The courtroom holds its breath. Tension is active. Subplot forces new complexity. The final choice is simple but irreversible.

Weak Response Example

A woman sits in her living room debating whether to report her company. She remembers past arguments with her sister. She makes a decision internally. There’s no external pressure. No present opposition. The subplot is memory. The confrontation is internal. The ending—a symbolic dream—feels untethered. The reader learns about the character, but nothing shifts through action.

Workshopping/Revision Questions

Where does the scene drift into passivity? How can you bring the opposition onstage? How does the subplot intrude rather than decorate? What about the ending catches the reader off guard? How can you layer clues to make it feel earned? What does the protagonist do under pressure that reveals who they are?

Recommended Reading

The Largesse of the Sea Maiden by Denis Johnson (title story from The Largesse of the Sea Maiden)

This story threads subtle, unexpected confrontations across multiple relationships and subplots. Each segment reflects a deeper reckoning with aging, regret, and grace. The structure shows how episodic fragments can build tension cumulatively. Conflict is quiet but constant. Subplots reveal the main character’s moral and emotional state as much as the primary narrative arc. Surprise never breaks plausibility; instead, it deepens inevitability.

AI Disclosure Statement:

This writing prompt was created in collaboration with ChatGPT, an AI model by OpenAI, to support creative practice. ChatGPT assisted with idea generation and drafting; the final text was edited by the author. The illustration was created using Google Gemini.